In order to embrace the new, we must release the old. A
trapeze artist cannot swing from one bar to another without letting go. An
important part of preparing for the New Year is to review the past year—to
release it—and to learn from it.…

The following questions should stimulate your thinking for
this process. I hope that you take time out of your busy schedule this
holiday season to ponder where you are and where you've been. Talk with
people you care about. Write out your thoughts and feelings. Do some
journaling. Consider writing a letter—an end-of the-year-epistle to
yourself. It could be profound to write it and valuable to read it in the
years ahead.

Reflect upon what you did, how you felt, what you liked,
what you didn’t and what you learned. Try to look at yourself and your
experience with as much objectivity as you can—much like a biographer
would.

Here are some suggestions to get you started in mulling
over the past year—perhaps the last decade. Feel free to add your own.

What did I learn? (skills,
knowledge, awareness, etc.)

What did I accomplish? A
list of my wins and achievements.

What would I have done
differently? Why?

What did I complete or
release? What still feels incomplete to me?

What were the most
significant events of the year past? List the top three.

What did I do right? What do
I feel especially good about? What was my greatest contribution?

What were the fun things I
did? What were the not-so-fun?

What were my biggest
challenges/roadblocks/difficulties?

How am I different this year
than last?

For what am I particularly
grateful?

Another Suggestion: Consider listing all the things in
your life of which you’d like to let go—anything you no longer want.
Give thanks for what they've brought you in terms of learning and usefulness
and then burn the list. It's a symbolic gesture to help you release the old
and be open to the new. The next step is to list what you do want—experiences,
knowledge, material things, relationships, healings, whatever.…

I'm confident that anything you can do to make this
year-end more dramatic in terms of your own personal and spiritual growth
will be valuable.